BIONEXT newsletter – December 2025

Editorial: Driving transformative change from below

Initiatives and interventions generated by bottom-up actors – citizen groups, non-governmental organisations, and frontrunning enterprises and civil servants engaged in innovative practices – can and often do open new avenues for the making of transformative change. The role of active civil society, policy champions and front running enterprises is ever more important in the face of politicians’ timidity to stick with ambitious environmental goals, exemplified by the EU climate ministers decision to weaken the goal to cut emissions by 90% by 2040 by allowing countries buy foreign carbon credits to cover up to 5% of the 90% goal.

BIONEXT’s policy brief ‘What policymakers need to learn from bottom-up biodiversity action’ clarifies the reasons why policymakers need to stay attentive to bottom-up action and posits seven modes of interventions by bottom-up actors, such as initiating and orchestrating collective action, integrating biodiversity with business opportunities and infrastructure development, and making biodiversity to matter for local wellbeing.

The message is clear that policymakers need to remain—or become more—attentive to the diverse ways in which transformative change is driven ‘from below’. This does not only mean increasing the opportunities for orchestrated participation, providing bottom-up actors to merely respond to predefined policy plans and agendas. Instead, policymakers should actively support the proactive, innovative and even resisting capacities of those aiming to drive transformative change from below.

Heli Saarikoski is a leading researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute. In BIONEXT, she is focusing on the role of civil society actors and social innovations in promoting transformative change.

Main findings, results and recommendations

This section presents the main findings, results and recommendations from the project over the last six months.

For the past six months, we have simulated nature-positive pathways which were co-created with our stakeholders in our second workshop. The results have showed that multiple benefits – spanning biodiversity, water, food, health, energy, transport and climate – can be achieved through different approaches. At the same time, the simulations revealed trade-offs and unintended consequences, which stakeholders sought to address by revising their pathways in the third workshop.

In addition, BIONEXT has contributed to three IPBES assessments across nine thematic outlines: IPBES Conceptual Framework, transformative change and pathways, nexus interlinkages, scenarios and models, justice, knowledge systems and plurality, options for action, biodiversity monitoring, and capacity building.

Engage with us

Webinar: Justice in biodiversity transitions: Insights from Europe - Save the date 10.2. at 14 CET!

This webinar will explore how justice considerations play a role in efforts to change and improve biodiversity-related practices and policies in Europe. Through a panel discussion, we will reflect on how these findings can support more just approaches to biodiversity transitions.

Save the date now - more information will be published soon!

Learn more

Policy Brief | What policymakers need to learn from bottom-up biodiversity action

What policymakers need to learn from bottom-up biodiversity action? Read our newest policy brief.

Insight article | Evidence for a New Way Forward in Solving Interconnected Crises: the IPBES Nexus Assessment

In December 2024, IPBES released a groundbreaking scientific report that may change how the world tackles its greatest environmental and societal challenges. But what are the core messages of the so-called Nexus Assessment?

Blog | Hope in the Nexus: Reimagining Our Future by Embracing Connection

What is it like to co-chair the Nexus assessment - the landmark report? Read the blog from Paula Harrison, the co-chair of the IPBES Nexus Assessment.

BIONEXT glossary

The newly published glossary contains definitions of key terms commonly used throughout the BIONEXT project.

In the spotlight: climate

In every newsletter, we give a spotlight on one element from the biodiversity nexus. For the sixth newsletter, we introduce climate.

The Earth’s climate affects water, food, energy, transport, health, and biodiversity. A hospitable climate is fundamental to life on Earth and variations in climate across the globe have influenced the distribution of biodiversity and the provision of food, water, health, energy, and transport. For example, the climate profoundly shapes our ability to cultivate food, and weather and climate variability play a fundamental role in the crops and varieties grown within different climatic regions.